"Sweet with the heat," is the phrase coined by culinary experts
who say summer's the season to add a fruity touch to grilled fish,
chicken or pork -- or even a burger.

"In the summer, a lot of people enjoy this sort of lightness to
their food," said Tom Budinger, a teacher at Sur la Table, a
kitchen supply store and cooking school in Carlsbad. "A lot of
fruits are in season. It's a good way to go."

In fact, switching to a mango- or raspberry-based topping for
grilled fare is not all that different from using ketchup or
regular barbecue sauce, he said. Tomatoes are, after all, members
of the fruit family.

Once reserved for fine dining and innovative gourmet cooking,
the fusion of fruit and barbecue has become increasingly popular.
More and more grocery stores are jumping on the trend, offering
customers choices ranging from gourmet jars of raspberry chipotle
toppers and the classic lemon pepper marinade to house-brand peach
and pineapple salsas.

Among Budinger's top choices for grilled meats are a fruit salsa
with mango, pineapple and papaya, spiked with minced jalapeno, and
an apple chutney that gets its punch from red pepper flakes. For
those who want something smoother, he often serves up a sweet
coulis -- a pureed fruit- or veggie-based sauce -- as a topping to
chicken, fish or pork.

He said poultry, lighter meats and fish make the best partners
for fruit sauces and salsas. Beef, however, works well with
cherries, he added.

An experienced chef who teaches grilling classes each summer,
Budinger said not all of his fruit-based creations come with the
hot stuff. But for those who enjoy a little extra kick, combining
fruit with heat is a worthwhile detour from the common tomato-based
barbecue sauces often doused over grilled chicken, he said.

Budinger advised topping meats and poultry with fruit-based
additions after the food has been grilled so flavors and textures
don't get lost in the smoke. Plus, putting anything with sugar --
even the natural kind found in fruit -- on a grill will guarantee a
crispy, charred mess before the meat is cooked, he added.

Besides the salsas and sauces, fruit-based barbecue sauces are a
popular grilling option. They also can be prepared by the cook in
advance or purchased ready-made at many natural food stores and
specialty shops.

Russ Bruhn, creator of Carlsbad Gourmet, sells products made
from locally picked strawberries. This time of year, he said, his
barbecue sauces and hot sauces are big sellers because they combine
two summer must-haves: in-season fruit and barbecue.

Bruhn said he breaks the rules when he tops classic lettuce,
tomato and onion-dressed burgers with his award-winning strawberry
hot sauce in lieu of ketchup.

"Right at the beginning it tastes like strawberries, and then
the heat from the chiles take over," he said. "I like that on
burgers."

If strawberry isn't exotic enough for you, other outlets sell
similar products. Michigan-based American Spoon Foods offers
barbecue sauces in such combinations as mango with curry spice and
chile with lime. The New England-based Lollipop Tree,
www.lollipoptree.com, sells grilling sauces and glazes that offer
the sweetness of apple with the punch of chipotle chiles, or the
tanginess of tangerine with the eye-watering flavor of wasabi.

As with any barbecue sauce, when it comes to using fruit-based
sauces, it's best to brush them on in the last five minutes or so
of grilling, since the sugars in the fruit will caramelize under
the grill's heat, leaving behind a charred piece of meat that might
not be fully cooked.

When marinating meats, keep in mind that citrus-based marinades
need only 30 minutes to work their magic. Budinger warns that meats
can "cook" with the acid of the fruit when left to marinate for
longer.

If you'd like to experiment with your own fruit-based toppings
and sauces, here are a few recipes.

Plum Hoisin Barbecue Sauce

4 tablespoons soy sauce

4 tablespoons honey

2 tablespoon minced, peeled fresh ginger

2 teaspooon rice vinegar

1 teaspoon Asian chile sauce or Tabasco hot sauce

4 garlic gloves, minced

2 large plums, quartered and pitted

Combine first six ingredients in saucepan and boil until
slightly thickened. Add plums and allow to simmer on low for three
minutes. Serve over grilled chicken.

Courtesy of the Kitchen Witch in Encinitas

These recipes are from Tom Budinger at Sur la Table in
Carlsbad:

Tropical Fruit Salsa

1/2 cup ripe, diced mango

1/2 cup ripe, diced papaya

1/2 cup ripe, diced pineapple

1/4 cup diced red onion

1 tablespoon cilantro, cut into strips

1 tablespoon lime juice

Kosher salt and pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients, cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Serve over fish, ahi tuna or mahi mahi are recommended, chicken or
pork.

Peach Coulis

1/4 cup sweet onion, Vidalia recommended

4 ripe peaches, skinned and chopped

2 tablespoons butter

Asian "Sriracha" hot chile sauce, to taste

Honey to taste, optional if peaches are not fully ripe

Heat butter in saucepan over low. Cook onions until translucent
in color. Add peaches and cover. Cook until peaches are soft,
almost "mushy." Remove from heat and puree in a blender with honey
and hot sauce. Serve sauce over grilled chicken, fish or pork.

Apple Thyme Chutney

1 1/2 cup light brown sugar

3 cups rice wine vinegar

1 cup water

7 Granny Smith apples, cut into batonettes (like french
fries)

1 cup chopped fresh thyme

Red pepper flakes, optional and to taste

Combine first three ingredients in saucepan over low heat.
Simmer until mixture is reduced to half. Add apples and cook until
mixture becomes a syrup. Add thyme and red pepper. Serve over
grilled pork tenderloin.

Orange Chipotle Barbecue Sauce

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 teaspoon minced canned chipotle chiles in adobo sauce

1/2 cup chopped onion

1 cup ketchup

1/4 cup fresh orange juice

1/2 teaspoon grated orange zest (rind)

1 tablespoon brown sugar

1 teaspoon cider vinegar

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1/4 teaspoon liquid smoke (optional)

Heat vegetable oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add
chipotle chile and onions and cook until onions are tender, 5
minutes, stirring often. Mix in the ketchup, orange juice, brown
sugar, vinegar, Worcestershire and optional liquid smoke. Bring to
a simmer and simmer slowly for 10 minutes. Great on chicken or
pork.

From "Fast and Fabulous Chicken Breasts" by Phillis Carey,
www.PhillisCarey.com.